SIKAP: Sipag at Abilidad (industry and resourcefulness), bares the secrets of the Philippines’ micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

As a tribute to the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) 35 years of service, 35 of those MSMEs are featured in this coffee table book.

Amazingly, all 35 of them had no previous background in business. Yet, government intervention, through the efforts of the Department, has transformed them from ordinary people into highly successful entrepreneurs.

This book is designed, therefore, to inspire the rise in the number and size of the country’s MSMEs, not just as a function of governance, but more so as an economic growth strategy.

About the Sikap MSMEs

Message from the Secretary

To mark its 35th year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reflects on the strength and brilliance of Filipino micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the backbone of the Philippine economy.

Currently, there are a million MSMEs registered in our country. To these MSMEs we attribute most of DTI's success in pushing the growth of the business sector, strengthening the macro-economic fundamentals in narrowing the income disparity, expanding the value chains, sustaining the increase in the country's GDP, broadening the domestic capital base, keeping revenues, increasing investments and generating more jobs for Filipinos.

True to their character, MSMEs constitute a grand showcase of the Filipino virtues--SIKAP; Sipag at Abilidad (industry, capability and resourcedulness)--that are critical elements in keeping the economic growth engine roaring.

As gleaned from this book, many medium-sized enterprises started from the smallest of companies, and Sikap (perseverance) accounted for the biggest investments during their startup. Clearly these stories are not about the "get-rich-quick" ventures, or "hot money" thrown into speculative ventures. Rather, these are stories of persistence, inspiring, and amazing transformation of ordinary people into fully-fledged entrepreneurs through Sikap.

Those virtues power the success stories that you will find in this book--stories that can inspire others in starting their own businesses and sparking the rise of other MSMEs. In this book, we also hail the Filipino entrepreneurs, who have the right mindset and know-how; the enablers, the DTI officials and employees, who support them; and those MSMEs that have grown into large global businesses. To them, this book about Sikap is dedicated as a fitting tribute well-earned.

The success story of every Filipino entrepreneur is the vision that gives life to this book, a documentary of unique life-changing journeys of hard work and triumph.

DTI Programs

For years, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has been true to its commitment to carefully craft programs and projects to uplift the lives of the Filipino people through entrepreneurship.

Focusing on the holistic development of every micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME)—from business plan development to the nitty-gritty of enterprise management—the following programs providing assistance to local enterprises have been proven to be effective through time and are continuously being transformed to keep up with the ever changing needs of the times.

The 35 MSMEs featured in this book are only a few of the hundreds of thousands of Filipino entrepreneurs whose lives have been dramatically changed by these programs. The DTI continues to implement and enhance these interventions to touch and improve more lives.